210 interns. 115,000 applicants. Here’s what Citadel Securities’ 0.18% actually have in common

AI is transforming how work gets done, automating or accelerating many of the tasks that have long defined the early years of a professional’s career.

That shift is playing out across even the most technologically advanced industries, including ours.

It raises questions every employer should be asking: what will we expect from early-career talent, and what will they expect from us? At Citadel Securities, our answer starts with how we already work.

From day one, we ask new colleagues to own hard problems, form a view, and drive it – not to shadow, not to wait their turn.

AI amplifies that model.

It clears away the mechanical parts of the job and puts more of the interesting work – judgment, ownership, building – into the hands of the people just starting out.

That’s why what increasingly separates the 0.18% who get an offer from everyone else isn’t coding ability, or GPA, or which quant competitions they’ve won.

It’s something AI can’t replicate, but something AI can accelerate – building.

Builders are people who identify problems no one assigned them to solve, organize people and ideas around solutions, and take responsibility for making things happen.

Those qualities have always mattered – and in the age of AI, they’re becoming even more important, particularly for new graduates.

Of course, technical excellence still matters.

Our work depends on outstanding engineers, quantitative researchers, and traders.

But as AI becomes increasingly capable, technical expertise alone is no longer enough to stand out.

Employers are now evaluating early-career candidates the way they have long evaluated leaders: based on curiosity, problem-solving ability, communication skills, and the initiative to build.